Scottish Executive

Access for Disabled People

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a taxi concessionary fare for disabled users.

Lewis Macdonald: No. The operation of concessionary travel schemes (including schemes for taxis) is a matter for individual local authorities, based on local needs and circumstances. As part of their concessionary travel schemes, a number of local authorities provide taxicard initiatives which offer reduced taxi fares to provide mobility for those unable to use conventional public transport.

Air Services

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) the Civil Aviation Authority and (b) any other bodies about the continuing technical viability of sand runways at any airfields used for public transport flights and what the results were of any such discussions.

Lewis Macdonald: Any discussions about the continuing technical viability of sand runways at any airfields used for public transport flights is a matter for the operator of such runways, in discussion with the regulatory authority.

Air Services

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in considering the future of the licensed airfield at Traigh Mhor on Barra, it, or any bodies from which it is taking advice, have taken any account of any aircraft accident or serious incident, as defined by the United Kingdom Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) and published in any of the AAIB's (i) monthly bulletins, (ii) formal reports and (iii) special bulletins.

Lewis Macdonald: The safety of passengers is paramount at all times at airports owned by the ministers and operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd. The Executive must ensure that safety is the primary consideration at these airports. No reportable accidents or serious incidents have occurred at Barra.

Air Services

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in considering the future of the licensed airfield at Traigh Mhor on Barra, it, or any bodies from which it is taking advice, have taken any account of any report of aircraft incidents not defined by the United Kingdom Air Accident Investigation Branch as either an aircraft accident or serious incident and, if so, whether it will indicate where information about such incidents is documented.

Lewis Macdonald: There is no requirement by the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) for the Executive to record any aircraft incidents which are not defined by the AAIB as either an aircraft accident or serious incident.

Air Services

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in considering the future of the licensed airfield at Traigh Mhor on Barra, it, or any bodies from which it is taking advice, have taken any account of the value of multiple runways in supporting continued operation at times of high wind speeds.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive, through Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, which is owned by the ministers, is fully aware of the operational environment at Traigh Mhor on Barra in differing weather conditions.

Air Services

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many landings and take-offs by (a) public transport, (b) air ambulance and (c) other fixed-wing traffic there were on (i) runway 07, (ii) runway 11, (iii) runway 15, (iv) runway 25, (v) runway 29 and (vi) runway 33 at the licensed airfield at Traigh Mhor on Barra in each of the last five years.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many flights of any kind were operated when the sun was more than 12 degrees below the horizon at either the time of take-off or landing at the licensed airfield at Traigh Mhor on Barra in each of the last five years and what proportion of any such flights was authorised to operate when the airfield was closed.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many authorisations for flight operations when the airfield was closed were granted (a) under the Highland and Islands Airport Ltd Out of Hours scheme and (b) in any other circumstances at the licensed airfield at Traigh Mhor on Barra in each of the last five years.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is not held centrally.

Air Services

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in considering the future of the licensed airfield at Traigh Mhor on Barra, it, or any bodies from which it is taking advice, have taken any account of the availability of aircraft suitable for operating public transport flights from sand runways and, if so, to what extent this availability is likely to influence decision making.

Lewis Macdonald: The availability of aircraft to provide an air service to Barra is inherent in any consideration by the Executive of continued support for a Public Service Obligation service.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14176 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 March 2001, how much of the additional £36 million to improve services for people with learning disabilities was allocated to specific services for families affected by autistic spectrum disorders.

Mr Frank McAveety: Information about the use of change funds for 2001-02 is available on the learning disability review website at www.scotland.gov.uk/ldsr. Local authorities were not asked to specify how much of the change funds were allocated to services for families affected by autistic spectrum disorders. However, some areas have identified spending on services including short breaks, employment, joint training and specialised support staff for people with autism.

  The audit of services to be carried out as recommended by the Public Health Institute of Scotland’s Autistic Spectrum Disorders Needs Assessment Report will also include information about current expenditure in relevant agencies.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the establishment of a national service network for people suffering from an autistic spectrum disorder, as recommended in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning difficulties .

Mr Frank McAveety: The Scottish Executive is considering a revised proposal for a national service network for people with autistic spectrum disorders, which has been submitted by the National Autistic Society and the Scottish Society for Autism.

Civil Service

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Civil Service Management Code that applies to the Scottish Prison Service applies to its other agencies.

Mr Andy Kerr: Yes. The Civil Service Management Code relates to the Home Civil Service. It applies in the same way to the Scottish Executive and its agencies as it does to UK Government departments and agencies.

Courts

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how long judges sat at each of the last five sittings of the High Court in Glasgow.

Mr Jim Wallace: Judges sat on average as follows:

  


Sitting of 21 October 
  

4 hours per day 
  



Sitting of 4 November 
  

4 hours 30 minutes per day 
  



Sitting of 18 November 
  

4 hours per day 
  



Sitting of 2 December 
  

4 hours 10 minutes per day 
  



Sitting of 16 December (1 week only) 
  

3 hours 20 minutes per day 
  



  Six judges were assigned to the High Court in Glasgow in each sitting. With the exception of the final sitting which lasted for five working days, each sitting ran for 10 days.

Crime

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence of recorded crimes is per 10,000 people in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Edinburgh, (e) the East Renfrewshire Council area and (f) the East Dunbartonshire Council area.

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence of non-sexual crimes of violence is per 10,000 people in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Edinburgh, (e) the East Renfrewshire Council area and (f) the East Dunbartonshire Council area.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is given in table 7, page 25, of the statistical bulletin Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2001 , published by the Scottish Executive in April 2002, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 20798).

Crime

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence of serious assaults is per 10,000 people in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Edinburgh, (e) the East Renfrewshire Council area and (f) the East Dunbartonshire Council area.

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence of vandalism is per 10,000 people in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Edinburgh, (e) the East Renfrewshire Council area and (f) the East Dunbartonshire Council area.

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence of domestic house-breaking is per 10,000 people in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Edinburgh, (e) the East Renfrewshire Council area and (d) the East Dunbartonshire Council area.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is given in Table 8, page 26, of the statistical bulletin Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2001 published by the Scottish Executive in April 2002, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 20798).

Digital Technology

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of households are covered by asymetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) in (a) Scotland, (b) the East Dunbartonshire Council area and (c) the East Renfrewshire Council area.

Iain Gray: Currently ADSL coverage of households stands at about 40% in Scotland, 0% in East Dunbartonshire and about 32% in East Renfrewshire.

Digital Technology

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of asymetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) capacity is currently taken up in (a) Scotland, (b) the East Dunbartonshire Council area and (c) the East Renfrewshire Council area.

Iain Gray: Currently ADSL take-up, as a percentage of lines available, stands at just over 3% in Scotland, and 2.3% in East Renfrewshire. There is no ADSL availability in East Dunbartonshire.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how drug treatment for individuals is accessed and how families affected by a person with a drug habit can access appropriate support and advice.

Hugh Henry: There are many different approaches to treating drug misusers, and a wide range of statutory, non-statutory and voluntary organisations are involved in the provision of services. Thus, there are several routes through which drug misusers can receive treatment. For example, GPs will refer patients to specialist drug treatment services, as will other agencies such as Social Work Departments who encounter clients with drug misuse problems. Some specialist drugs services will also accept self-referrals from patients.

  A range of services support families of drug misusers, including GPs and other health workers, drug agencies, Social Work Departments, carer and family support organisations, and community-based projects.

  It is certainly important that drug misusers and their families are aware of where help, advice and treatment are available. Drug Action Teams already provide such information, but the point is re-inforced (including practical advice) in the Effective Interventions Unit’s (EIU) report on the provision of integrated care for drug misusers, which has been given wide distribution. Another EIU report on Families and Carers of Drug Users lists a broad range of agencies which provide support and advice, either in relation to the needs of the family, or in assisting families to support drug misusers.

  In addition, there is a free Know the Score Directory which includes national organisations, Drug Action Teams, and local/community services. The directory can be obtained via the free Know the Score Informationline and it is also available on the Know the Score website.

  We have allocated £180,000, from recovered criminal assets, to family support groups which deal with the problems which drug misuse can bring. We are working with these groups to determine the optimum way to distribute these resources.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are in place to carry out drugs testing at accident and emergency departments and police stations.

Hugh Henry: There are no plans to introduce routine drug testing in accident and emergency departments. Accident and emergency staff are trained in the recognition of substance abuse. They are aware that it may be a causal factor in a patient’s attendance at the department and that it may affect the clinical management of the patient.

  Similarly, there are no plans for routine drugs testing in police stations. Police officers can request the attendance of forensic medical examiners, who could take biological samples from the person for testing. This could include, for example, drug testing where drug misuse is suspected.

Education

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the likely percentage change will be in school rolls by 2011 in (a) Scotland, (b) the East Dunbartonshire Council area and (3) the East Renfrewshire Council area.

Nicol Stephen: The projected decline in mainstream local authority school rolls in Scotland, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire is set out in the following table:

  

 

2001 School Census 
  

2011 Projection 
  

Percentage Change 
  



Scotland 
  

736,891 
  

628,515 
  

-15% 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

19,075 
  

15,843 
  

-17% 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

16,092 
  

14,538 
  

-10% 
  



  A revised Scotland projection based upon information from the 2001 population census is now available. This shows a decline in pupil numbers across Scotland of 14%. Local authority figures on this basis are not available.

European Convention on Human Rights

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the European Convention on Human Rights has had on provisions within the law that relate to the prevention of racism in health, housing, education and social services.

Mr Jim Wallace: The specific duties under the amended Race Relations Act to promote race equality, imposed on key public bodies by Scottish ministers earlier this year, will ensure that our public services are fair, accessible and sensitive to the needs of all our communities. The European Convention on Human Rights does not add to or detract from these responsibilities.

Firearms

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many firearms licences were granted for the purpose of gamekeeping in each year since 1999.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally. However, everyone applying to the police for a firearms or shotgun certificate in the UK is required to state purpose and their occupation, and police forces will therefore hold the information sought.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the 2002 decommissioning package was announced; when the package came into force, and when the (a) first and (b) last vessel was decommissioned under the package.

Ross Finnie: The most recent decommissioning scheme in Scotland was The Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001. The decommissioning package was announced on 8 March 2001, and the scheme was open for applications between 31 August and 31 October 2001. The first vessel was certified as having been decommissioned under the scheme on 23 January 2002 and a certificate in respect of the last vessel was issued on 23 September 2002.

Further Education

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the grant-in-aid allocation for educational provision to the Scottish Agricultural College is being reduced in stages from £6.552 million in 2002-03 to £4.894 million in 2005-06.

Allan Wilson: The planned reduction in the grant-in-aid for education provision at the Scottish Agricultural College reflects a continuing reduction in student numbers at the college. Numbers have now fallen by around 40% over the last six years. As a consequence, the college’s level of education funding per student is substantially higher than other educational institutions.

Glasgow

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what limitations will be attached to the £40.1 million allocated to Glasgow under the City Growth Fund.

Mr Andy Kerr: As specified in guidance made available on 9 January 2003 to accompany the reports of the Review of Scotland’s Cities , release of cities’ allocations from the City Growth Fund will be dependent on satisfactory outputs from the proposed City Vision exercises and a brief but clear submission to the Scottish Executive outlining how the money will be spent and what outcomes will be delivered.

  Authorities' submissions to the Scottish Executive concerning the use of the City Growth Fund will be expected to include:

  a list of projects or service outcomes the funds are intended to buy;

  notional expenditure on each of these, with appropriate value-for-money considerations;

  target dates for delivery;

  identification of other sources of funds levered in to the projects;

  consideration of any potential State Aids or other issues impacting on the use of the funds;

  consultation with community planning partners and the business community in the city, and

  output of consultation with authorities and business interests in the city region.

  It is anticipated that local stakeholders will work to ensure that activities supported by the City Growth Fund and other funds administered by the Scottish Executive, for example the Quality of Life funds, should be mutually reinforcing where possible. The Scottish Executive recognises that many of the projects involved are likely to have long lead-in times and potentially to face other administrative requirements. Therefore, it is accepted that initial submissions will in some respects be provisional.

  Authorities will also be expected to provide a brief annual report on those activities supported by the fund, and a final report after three years, detailing the outcomes achieved as a result of support by the fund. The Scottish Executive will write to the local authorities concerned in the next few weeks, to confirm these requirements.

Land

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much vacant and derelict land there has been in (a) Scotland, (b) the East Dunbartonshire Council area and (c) the East Renfrewshire Council area in each year since 1993.

Des McNulty: The information, which is published in the Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey (SVDLS), is set out in the tables.

  Area of Vacant and Derelict Land (ha), 1995-20011-2

  


Area 
  

1995 
  

1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



East Dunbartonshire Council 
  

104 
  

109 
  

113 
  

109 
  

100 
  

94 
  

94 
  



East Renfrewshire Council 
  

36 
  

50 
  

54 
  

42 
  

37 
  

33 
  

32 
  



Scotland3


13,721 
  

13,101 
  

12,470 
  

12,212 
  

11,608 
  

11,233 
  

10,517 
  



  Area of Vacant and Derelict Land (ha), 1993-944

  


Area 
  

1993 
  

1994 
  



Bearsden and Milngavie District Council 
  

45 
  

28 
  



Strathkelvin District Council 
  

270 
  

254 
  



Eastwood District Council 
  

26 
  

22 
  



Renfrew District Council 
  

464 
  

385 
  



Scotland 
  

15,400 
  

14,094 
  



  Notes:

  1. Sites covering less than 0.1 ha are excluded.

  2. The SVDLS includes only that vacant land which is either located within an urban settlement (with a population of 2,000 or more) or which is located within 1km of such settlements, and which would commonly be considered as having the characteristics of urban vacant land.

  3. For those councils that did not provide data for a particular year, data from the previous SVDLS has been used. Previously published figures for 1999-2001 have been revised on the basis of recent council returns.

  4. Figures are not available for East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire in 1993 and 1994 as these councils did not exist before the reorganisation of local government in 1996. As part of the 1995 survey (which was published in 1996), councils were asked to provide figures for 1995 for the new council areas. The present East Dunbartonshire Council area comprises the former Bearsden and Milngavie District and part of the former Strathkelvin District. East Renfrewshire Council area comprises the former Eastwood District and part of the former Renfrew District. The table shows the area, in hectares, of vacant and derelict land in these districts in 1993 and 1994.

  Copies of the 1993, 1994, 1995 and the 2001 (which contains figures for 1996 to 2001 inclusive) Surveys are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 25952, 25953, 25954, and 20466 respectively).

New Deal

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the take-up rates were for participation in the New Deal for Young People from its inception to date in (a) Scotland, (b) the East Dunbartonshire Council area and (c) the East Renfrewshire Council area.

Iain Gray: Participation in the New Deal for Young People (NDYP) is mandatory for all aged 18 to 24 years, unemployed for six months or longer. From the start of the programme in April 1998 to the end of September 2002, 100,100 young people have participated in NDYP in Scotland. Of this total, 1,200 were in East Dunbartonshire and 900 in East Renfrewshire.

Nuclear Power

Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are in place to protect people and counter any terrorist threat to the transportation by rail of nuclear material to nuclear plants.

Lewis Macdonald: These are reserved matters, although the Scottish Executive is closely involved in the government response. It is not government policy to disclose details of security measures taken in response to existing or new threats.

People with Learning Disabilities

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the establishment of a Scottish Centre for Learning Disabilities, as recommended in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning difficulties .

Mr Frank McAveety: On 21 March 2001, the Scottish Executive announced the award of £1.5 million to set up a Centre for Learning Disability in Scotland. The Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability was formally launched on 5 October 2001.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30033 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 November 2002, how many prisoners have (a) been offered and (b) received immunisation for hepatitis A in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not available.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the controller of HM Prison Kilmarnock has agreed that a cell may be shared by two prisoners under section 23.4.1 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock in each quarter of the operation of the prison and in the current year to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Once, on 24 July 2000.

Prison Service

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of recent incidents at HM Prison Shotts and what action it will take as a result.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  On 2 January at HM Prison Shotts, a large number of prisoners in A Hall and some in B Hall were involved in concerted indiscipline. The SPS resolved the incident at 15:00 the following day. One member of staff suffered a broken leg. There was damage to the prison accommodation.

  On 7 January, in a separate incident also at HM Prison Shotts, an episode of concerted indiscipline resulted in three members of staff receiving stab wounds which resulted in them being detained in hospital. The SPS brought the incident to a conclusion at 05:30 the following day.

  The SPS has well established procedures for reviewing such incidents which are now in progress involving the staff who handled the incident on the ground, the Incident Control Teams at SPS Headquarters and senior Governors of other establishments. Ministers were briefed at the outset, during and after each incident.

  Both incidents are the subject of police investigations and criminal charges have been brought in relation to the second. This, and SPS’s role as a law enforcement agency, properly restrict what I can say about the action we will take following the incidents. We are in touch with other law enforcement agencies, the emergency services and others to review learning points and actions we can take to reduce the risk of such incidents occurring and further improve our response to them. The same process is under way internally, and at a time of high prisoner numbers we are revising contingency plans following the loss of accommodation at Shotts as a result of these incidents.

  I would like to place on record SPS’s concern for the well-being of the staff injured in these incidents and our appreciation of the professional and effective response of staff and managers at Shotts and other establishments to these difficult and dangerous incidents and in the major dispersal operation which followed the first.

Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there have been for interdicts under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: No statistics are kept for the number of applications for interdict made under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there have been for interdicts with power of arrest attached under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: No statistics are kept for the number of applications for interdict with a power of arrest attached made under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there have been for interdicts under sections 8 to 11 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each year since 1999, broken down by sheriff court area.

Mr Jim Wallace: Statistics are available for certain proceedings under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. These do not specify whether interdict was applied for but, as shown below, give the numbers of applications for non-harassment orders and the numbers of orders granted.

  Number of Non-Harassment Orders: Totals for Scotland

  

 

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  

2002 
  



Applied for 
  

277 
  

108 
  

72 
  

72 
  



Granted 
  

76 
  

18 
  

21 
  

36 
  



  The numbers of applications lodged, broken down for all the sheriff courts in Scotland, are not available.

Public Sector

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for current and planned relocation reviews as part of the public service job relocation policy.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32492 on 11 December 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Public Sector

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has communicated with local authorities and local enterprise companies to identify suitable sites for any future public service job relocations.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive wrote to all Scottish local authorities and Local Enterprise Companies on 16 December 2002 drawing attention to the new list of bodies, announced on 11 December 2002, about to conduct location reviews.

Public Sector

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will prioritise public service job relocations to areas of economic and social disadvantage, given any impact that such relocations would have on the area.

Mr Andy Kerr: A range of factors are considered in evaluating relocation reviews. These include costs, operational effectiveness, the position of staff and social, economic and environmental considerations.

  We will be providing further guidance on social and economic factors to make clear that there is a case for giving greater weight to factors such as unemployment and other indicators of deprivation in considering location reviews.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specifications are being put in the tender documents for the passenger rail franchise regarding the infrastructure and renovation works at Waverley Station.

Lewis Macdonald: None. The Scottish passenger rail franchise is for the provision of services only and this will be reflected in the franchise documentation.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the costs of the Waverley Station upgrade will be met through the forthcoming passenger rail franchise.

Lewis Macdonald: The direct costs of the Waverley project will not be met through the Scottish passenger rail franchise, as the franchise is for services only. Indirectly it is possible that the enhanced infrastructure could lead to some cost to the franchisee in the form of increased Track Access Charges.

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the proposal to build a 56-megawatt wind farm at Cairn Uish in Moray.

Lewis Macdonald: I can announce that the Scottish ministers have granted consent on this proposal in terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Additionally, this consent carries deemed planning permission in terms of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

  This proposal will make a meaningful contribution to the delivery of the Scottish Climate Change Programme and equates to approximately 10% of the additional renewable generation needed to meet Scotland’s 2010 target.

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the SCOTS roads condition survey will be published.

Lewis Macdonald: While the Executive fully supports the local authority condition survey of local roads and is represented on the working group, management of the survey including the publication of the findings, is a matter for the Society of Chief Officers of Transport.

Scottish Arts Council

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made on the relocation of the Scottish Arts Council.

Dr Elaine Murray: I expect that the Scottish Arts Council's report on future location will be with ministers by the end of this financial year. A decision will be made as soon as possible thereafter.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full costs were of printing, publishing and distributing Recording our Achievements and how many copies were printed.

Mr Andy Kerr: The final costs of printing, publishing and distributing Recording Our Achievements were £45,392. 2,300 main reports and 31,000 summaries were initially produced. Following publication on 16 December a second print run of 62,000 summaries was undertaken to enable more Scots to see and assess for themselves the Executive’s performance.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full costs were of printing, publishing and distributing Building Better Cities: Delivering Growth and Opportunities  and the accompanying document  Next Steps .

Ms Margaret Curran: Final invoices for the printing, publishing and distribution of Review of Scotland’s Cities – the Analysis and Building Better Cities: Delivering Growth and Opportunities , have yet to be received. The budgeted costs for these publications are £39,100. The accompanying document Next Steps has been published only on the Scottish Executive website, for which no costs were incurred.

Scottish Executive Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Health Department on projects and tasks.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Justice Department on projects and tasks.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Education Department on projects and tasks.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department on projects and tasks.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Environment and Rural Affairs Department on projects and tasks.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Finance and Central Services Department on projects and tasks.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Corporate Services Department on projects and tasks.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Legal and Parliamentary Services Department on projects and tasks.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Development Department on projects and tasks.

Mr Andy Kerr: The average gross hourly rates for the pay bands of staff working in the Scottish Executive’s core departments for financial year 2002-03 are given in the table:

  


Pay Band 
  

Hourly Rate Based on Gross Average Pay* 
  



A1 
  

£8.09 
  



A2 
  

£9.01 
  



A3 
  

£10.40 
  



A4 
  

£11.81 
  



B1 
  

£13.67 
  



B2 
  

£17.35 
  



B3 
  

£23.42 
  



C1 
  

£31.59 
  



C2 
  

£37.54 
  



C3 
  

£40.80 
  



Fast Stream 
  

£16.58 
  



SCS 1** 
  

£46.69 
  



SCS 1A 
  

£57.56 
  



SCS 2 
  

£69.81 
  



SCS 3 
  

£85.58 
  



  Notes:

  *Gross average pay includes basic salary, employers’ superannuation contributions and national insurance payments.

  **SCS= Senior Civil Service.

Scottish Executive Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what hourly rates and what grades are applied for staff when calculating the costs of individuals working in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service on projects and tasks.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: The average gross hourly rates for the pay bands of staff working in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for financial year 2002-03 are given in the table:

  


Pay Band 
  

Hourly Rate Based on Gross Average Pay* 
  



B 
  

£10.57 
  



C 
  

£14.64 
  



D 
  

£17.10 
  



E 
  

£23.94 
  



F 
  

£33.52 
  



G 
  

£38.34 
  



SCS 1** 
  

£65.32 
  



SCS 1A 
  

£72.95 
  



SCS 2 
  

£90.32 
  



SCS 3 
  

£111.93 
  



  Notes:

  *Gross average pay includes basic salary, employers’ superannuation contributions and national insurance payments.

  **SCS= Senior Civil Service.

Scottish Executive Websites

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to date has been of (a) developing and (b) maintaining the Healthy Living Scotland website, inclusive of VAT.

Malcolm Chisholm: The total cost of developing the Healthy Living website to date has been £42,755, inclusive of VAT. As the website was only recently launched we do not have figures for maintenance of the site.

Scottish Executive Websites

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected annual running costs are for the Healthy Living Scotland website and for how many years the website is forecast to operate.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is not possible to estimate the projected annual running costs for the Healthy Living website at this stage. Further development of the site, and associated cost implications, will be informed by continuous evaluation of the healthy eating campaign as a whole.

Scottish Executive Websites

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the running costs incurred in respect of the Healthy Living Scotland website were met from (a) the existing departmental budget and, if so, from which part of that budget, (b) new money allocated to the department or (c) a central advertising budget.

Malcolm Chisholm: The running costs of the Healthy Living website are being met from the existing departmental budget.

Sewel Motions

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32033 by Patricia Ferguson on 18 December 2002, what legal advice it seeks regarding the boundaries of the devolved responsibilities of the Parliament before seeking the agreement of the Parliament, through a Sewel motion, that the UK Parliament legislate on devolved matters.

Patricia Ferguson: By long-standing convention, the general policy of the Scottish Executive is that it does not disclose legal advice or whether it has taken legal advice.

Social Inclusion

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the roll-out of information and communication technologies and approaches to core skill development training currently applied in social inclusion partnerships.

Des McNulty: The Executive has already put in place a range of national initiatives to develop the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and approaches to core skills training across Scotland. The Executive is committed to achieving universal access to the internet through its digital inclusion strategy and under the Public Internet Access Points Initiative we are creating over 1,000 new public internet access facilities. We have also committed substantial funding to Community Learning Partnerships across Scotland, which is enabling the delivery of a wide range of community-based programmes to develop individual ICT skills. In addition, Executive funding is also assisting such partnerships to develop and implement Literacies Action Plans. The activity in social inclusion partnership areas therefore complements these national initiatives.

Social Work

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there are for children's services social workers in (a) Scotland and (b) each local authority.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30873 on 19 November 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search

Sport

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made on the relocation of  sportscotland.

Mike Watson: We are currently considering the report from the consultants commissioned by  sportscotland to review their property portfolio as a whole. That will help inform our decision on the future location of  sportscotland’s headquarters which we expect to make by March.

Sport

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it plans to give to local communities that wish to establish local community sports trusts.

Dr Elaine Murray: Local community sports trusts have the potential to make a valuable contribution to how sport is delivered at the local level. It is important that they have support from their local authority if that potential is to be realised.

  Sport 21 Time to Speak Up is currently out for consultation. Sportscotland is also reviewing all its programmes following its organisational review. Once these processes have been completed decisions will be taken on the various programmes sportscotland will operate.

Youth Crime

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which of the 38 recommendations contained in the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people , it has accepted; how it has prioritised these, and what action it has taken, or plans to take, in respect of them.

Cathy Jamieson: Twenty-seven of the 38 recommendations are being implemented. We are in agreement with a further six recommendations and we are developing proposals to take these forward. Recommendations 26, 27, 30, 31 and 36 require further consideration.

Youth Crime

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of placing young offenders in residential care have been in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-03 to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: The following table provides information on the cost of placing in secure accommodation young people who have been sentenced by the courts to be detained under sections 205 or 208 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995:

  


Year 
  

Cost (£) 
  



1999-2000 
  

2,559,137 
  



2000-01 
  

2,712,498 
  



2001-02 
  

2,669,471 
  



2002 (1 April to 31 December) 
  

2,427,379

Youth Crime

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why there is no uniformity across police forces as to what constitutes an informal or a formal warning; whether these warnings are recorded at force level, as recommended by the ad hoc Ministerial Group on Youth Crime, and why only five out of the eight police forces could provide annual figures for warnings issued, as identified in the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people .

Mr Jim Wallace: Action point 6 of Scotland's Action Programme to Reduce Youth Crime 2002 , which we announced in summer 2002, was to develop a Scotland-wide system of cautions/warnings. At the time, we recognised that there were variations across Scotland in the approaches adopted by police forces in relation to warnings. In December 2002, following discussion with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, we made available £250,000 to the Scottish Police Service, across all forces, to enable the police to put in place formal training and support for restorative justice methods linked to warnings. The next stage will be to commission researchers to gather information on existing activity and to produce national guidance (including guidance on standards and recording) under the auspices of a steering group involving representatives from the main public and voluntary organisations with an interest. Future funding would then be linked to the criteria set in that guidance.

Youth Crime

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the statement in paragraph 44 of the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people , that "data on the number of young people committing offences, being warned, referred to the children’s hearings system or the procurator fiscals are poor" and what changes it has made to the collection and classification of such data since May 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration has successfully implemented major changes to the collection and classification of data since May 1999. The Referrals Administration Database is now fully operational across Scotland. It records all children referred to Children’s Reporters and the process in the Children’s Hearings system.

  The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) database is designed to be an operational case-tracking system rather than a purely statistical database. At the time data was requested from COPFS by Audit Scotland, there was a major roll-out of an upgraded case-tracking system. COPFS are now in a position to provide this type of data for current cases.

Youth Crime

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the statement in paragraph 58 of the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people, that "the data, as currently recorded, do not indicate the number of cases where the reporter's decision is influenced by non-availability of resources, but it is likely that there are significant numbers of young people who could benefit from a voluntary service who do not receive it."

Cathy Jamieson: Decisions by Reporters and Children’s Hearings should be based solely on what is in the best interests of children. It is for other agencies to provide the resources to implement those decisions.